Todd Boehly has sold his stake of Chelsea to Clearlake Capital, ending a four-year involvement with the Blues.
As well as Boehly; Mark Walter – who sold his ownership of storied NBA franchise LA Lakers for £9.3billion last month – and Hansjorg Wyss have also sold to Clearlake, making the latter the sole owners of the west London outfit.
Boehly, Walter and Wyss each had a 12.8 per cent stake, with Clearlake – led by co-founders Behdad Eghbali and Jose E. Feliciano – previously owning 61.5 per cent of the Blues.
The news sees Boehly’s time as the club’s chairman come to an end, a position he has held since the consortium bought the club for £4.25billion in May 2022. Abramovich put the club up for sale in March 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and after being sanctioned by the UK government for alleged links to Russian president Vladimir Putin, something he denies.
Chelsea statement
A statement issued late on Wednesday night said: ‘Chelsea Football Club today announced affiliates of Clearlake Capital Group, LP (‘Clearlake’) will acquire the ownership interest of Todd Boehly.
‘Hansjorg Wyss will remain an important stakeholder and partner in the ownership group.
‘As part of the transition, Clearlake will also acquire Mark Walter’s ownership interest and therefore acquire full control of the club.’
Chelsea said chairman Boehly had shown ‘unwavering commitment’ to the ownership group’s belief that the supporters are at the heart of the club.
‘The owners have worked together with the shared objective of building a sustainable foundation for long-term sporting success,’ the statement added.
‘Under their joint ownership, substantial investment has been made across the men’s and women’s senior and youth squads, Chelsea’s training facilities at Cobham, medical and player-support resources, Academy development and pathways, and the sporting and business leadership of the club.
‘Todd Boehly now leaves his role as chairman with Chelsea well positioned for the next phase of development.
‘Clearlake intends to continue building on the strategic course the club is now on and realising the ambition that the ownership group has developed together.’
Todd Boehly: Being Chelsea chairman has been an honour
On his stint as Chelsea chairman, Boehly labelled it as an ‘honour’ and wished the club all the best.
‘It has been an honour to serve as chairman of Chelsea football club, he said.
‘I would like to thank the many who helped secure a bright future for the club, including the English Premier League, the coaches and players, the talented leadership and staff at Chelsea, and the legions of dedicated fans.
‘I have valued my partnership with Clearlake and the wider ownership group, and the collective decisions and investment we have made to support the immediate and long-term success of the club.
‘I’m confident that Chelsea is well positioned for continued success under Clearlake’s leadership.’
Eghbali and Feliciano said: ‘Todd has been an important partner throughout our ownership of Chelsea, and we thank him for his time and contribution as chairman.
‘He will always be a part of the Chelsea story and family.
‘Clearlake has served as Chelsea’s majority owner since 2022, and as we move to full control our focus is to continue investing in the club’s infrastructure, sporting performance, player development and delivering long-term success for Chelsea and the club’s supporters.’
Since the takeover in 2022, Chelsea’s highest Premier League finish is fourth in 2024-25, with the club also winning the UEFA Europa Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup that season.
Chelsea, who appointed Xabi Alonso as manager in the summer and are currently sixth in the Premier League, say there will be no changes to day-to-day operations, leadership or strategy at the club.
